Portraits and paintings of the
English Bulldog by
Justine Osborne

An
awkward pose, typical of the breed, Mabel contemplates life.
The butterfly flies past and the strong charactered, loveable
Mabel on her fiery red background stikes a pose.. and as ever,
a little ungainly.

The Bulldog is small in stature, but wide and compact, with a thick,
massive head. Its head should be broad (the broader the more prized)
with cheeks that extend to the sides of the eyes. The skin on the
skull and forehead should fall in dense folds. Its muzzle is short
and pug, its nose, broad and black with large nostrils. Its upper
lip is pendent and its lower jaw should be very undershot. Eyes are
very round, far apart and very dark. The ears should be small and
thin, folded back in the form of a rose. The tail is short and carries
low. Coats can be red, fawn, brindle, pale yellow or washed-out red,
or white, and can combine any of these colours. With its stocky legs
set squarely at each corner of its compact, muscular body, the Bulldog's
deliberate gain has become a waddle.

Although
the English Bulldogs appearance can be somewhat intimidating, it
is among the gentlest of dogs. Just the same it will see off any
intruder, and few would risk a close encounter with a dog brave
enough to bait a bull. It is described as a very affectionate and
dependable animal, gentle with children, but known for its courage
and its excellent guarding abilities. Some English Bulldogs can
be a bit dominating and need an owner who knows how to display strong
leadership and understands alpha canine behavior. When Bulldogs
are young, they are full of energy, but slow down as they get older.
They snore very loudly, and most have drool and slobber tendencies.

Today's
bulldog has a very different temperament from those of his ancestors.
The breed is descended from the ancient Asiatic mastiff, but its
development took place completely in Great Britain. The name bulldog,
which is medieval in origin, refers not only to the robust look
of a little bull, which this aggressive dog has, but also to the
power with which this dog attacked bulls in arena combat before
that practice was prohibited by law in the nineteenth century.